Sandstorm
by BlackStarZX
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki was alone in his childhood. Then Gaara, banished from his home as a failure, comes to Konoha and the two become brothers in all but blood. Both aspire to become the Kage of their homes, and unafraid, they will take on the world in a sandstorm big enough to engulf the world. Stronger!Naruto. RuthlessYetProtective!Gaara. No official pairings yet.
1. Prologue

**I promise, this will be the longest AN in the whole story. I just need to get a few things cleared before I actually start this thing up.**

**But first, welcome to the world of **_**Sandstorm!**_

**I named it this because _Sandstorm_ is basically a collaboration of the two characters' main affinities: sand and wind. I know _technically_ Gaara has wind and magnet, but I'm calling it sand. So yeah, there's that._  
_**

**This is a hopefully original storyline that I thought of while watching the battle between Gaara and Naruto. Hopefully it works out ok.**

**I'm also giving Naruto a dōjutsu, or for those who don't know, a bloodline based in the eyes, like a Sharingan. It's also completely made up, but I think fans of ass-kicking Naruto will like it. And while on the subject, Naruto will not be too OP. But he will definitely be a lot stronger than he was in the anime/manga, because of a friend to help him and a rival earlier on.**

**Pairings? I have no idea as of yet, but all pairings here are straight! No GaaraxNaruto here, only a brotherly relationship! I don't mind homo and stuff like that, but I won't do it in my own story. **

**Many thanks to the artist behind the profile picture. It was very good, and if I could I would thank you personally. But I'll settle for this. So thanks.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: **The only one I'm going to put. I don't own Naruto or any of its elements!

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Sandstorm

A Naruto based fiction

By BlackStarZX

_Prologue_

A lone boy trudged across the desert. The raging sand around him whipped in the wind, yet parting across the boy as if he was a rock in a river. Nothing touched him. He was not afraid, either. He knew why it was this way, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

The boy's name was Gaara of the Desert.

He had been walking for half a day now. His father, the Fourth Kazekage, had banished him from his own home instead of execution, when he couldn't bring himself to kill his youngest son. The city council had announced the experiment with Gaara a "failure", and should be terminated immediately. The Kazekage thought it best for the village if Gaara was gone forever, yet not gone from this world. If he could survive the wild, great. Yet if he did die, it was not that big of a lost. The father would appropriately feel remorse, but that's all his fatherly instincts would let him do. Shukaku would hopefully die with the boy, and the village would live in peace again.

Gaara walked on for a long time. The vast amount of sand that had stuck with him in the desert was now feeble. And while he was lucky to not run into any missing-nin or regular bandits, starvation was still a problem to overcome.

On the fifth day, Gaara's young body found its way to the entrance of Konoha. The shinobi at the gate immediately perceived him as a threat from another village, but seeing the youngling in such a state made them get the Hokage instead.

Of course, the Hokage saw right through the boy. He knew that the brow-less boy was in fact the jinchūriki of Shukaku, the spirit of the sand. The only problem was making sure he wouldn't rampage in his full form, or if the Kazekage meant for them to find the boy…

But after observing the boy while he was eating and sleeping, the Hokage didn't detect any malicious thoughts from the Suna boy. Instead, the boy was shattered inside. They weren't ready to get a full reply out of him yet, but that day would come in time.

In the meantime, they would need to make sure that _nobody_ found out about the boy's demon. They didn't even know if the boy knew. The village already had a problem with their resident jinchūriki, and if they were to discover _another_…

The consequences would be drastic beyond belief.

So they hid the boy of the desert. They hid him very well, right in plain sight at the local orphanage, and the ANBU made sure to have him watched from the shadows at all time.

The first thing they noticed was that Gaara trusted nobody. Through the two years he lived in that orphanage, he never made a single friend. And nobody came to make him a friend. Make no mistake; he tried to get some friends. But they were all scared of the creepy boy with no eyebrows, the one with the empty eyes and scary feeling. It reminded them of that freak, Naruto, the one who their parents warned them to stay away from.

It was only a matter of time before they figured out the truth.

Konoha had little to no sand, so the gourd sealed in the scroll was his only source of sand. He remembered his father giving him the scroll, explaining what was inside and how he would open it to get the gourd when he was old enough to carry it around.

But as Gaara had no training in fūinjutsu whatsoever, and didn't have the memory to remember exactly how to release his gourd, there was no way to get the gourd.

He had been alone in the village, walking the streets at night, still unfamiliar with the vegetation and the lack of sand. Most of his memories were of this village, but it didn't seem _right_. He belonged back in the desert, where his siblings were, the only people that loved him. Well, maybe "love" was too strong a word, but they didn't hate him on sight.

'_But this place isn't too bad. No one gives me that eye anymore, and I'm left alone but not because of hatred.'_

He walked to the academy playground, sitting up onto the swing. _'I'll be going here in 6 years. That's what Grandpa Hokage said at least. But I really just want to go home…_'

A gust of wind blew across the yard, and it started. He heard the rising voices of people talking, and stood stock still. Some people from the Uchiha clan were passing by, noticeable from the marks on their jackets. Even a young kid like Gaara knew the symbol.

Gaara didn't know what to do. He smelt a strong, intense odor the closer they got. Alcohol. That was never a good thing for a lone boy at night.

"…brat got away from me at the last minute! I had no idea he was so fast! Goddamnit! I heard the others complaining, so that means none of us can catch him!"

"Bastard deserves it. We'll corner him next time, and then he'll get what's coming to him…"

The three men suddenly noticed the boy with the red hair, and a smile crept onto one of their faces. "C'mon. I know a way we can vent our anger."

Gaara was frozen. What was he supposed to do? These were three trained shinobi, and he was but a lowly, banished student with almost no training as of yet. The only kind he could remember was back in Suna, but that had been a long time ago when he was young, and they had quickly stopped training him. He didn't even know why they stopped, but soon after he had been banished from the only home he had ever known.

"Hey, kid! What are you doing out here all alone, eh? Don't you have your mommy to comfort ya'?" one of them asked.

When Gaara didn't answer, the chūnin rushed forward in a blur and had the young boy in a grip, kunai in hand. "You mute or something, boy? Don't ignore me!"

"Hey, Kuzino, this kid is the one from the orphanage. The strange one that no one ever talks to, and he never talks to us. Remember?"

The one holding Gaara up, Kuzino, thought for a second, and the cruel smirk came back onto his face. "Well then, I guess we're luckier than I thought! This kid has no one to go home too!" Turning to his comrades, he barked out, "Search him!"

The other two chūnin patted Gaara down, eventually finding the seal that he kept with his at all times yet he didn't know how to open yet. "Stop! Please! That's my only treasure!" he tried to call out in vain.

"So is actually worth something?" Kuzino opened it up. "Hmm…seems pretty advanced. But my luck just keeps increasing today! I'm a pretty decent fūinjutsu user!"

Making a sign over the scroll, Kuzino made the fatal mistake of yelling out "Release!"

The gourd popped up from the scroll in a puff of smoke, and the sand instantly whirled to action. Kuzino's comrades were still holding onto Gaara, and his mother did not like anyone trying to harm her son. The sand cut off the hands of the unfortunate man, and they blood tainted the air with a metallic scent.

The men screamed into the night air, now trying to back away from the boy. Gaara had no idea what was happening, but he knew enough to know what blood looked like. He backed away as well, not comprehending the effects surely to come. "T-t-that's not r-r-right! No Konoha shinobi can control sand to that degree!"

His eyes widened when two thoughts crossed his mind at the same time. Even an ass can have a brain, and this one used it to connect the dots. _'Just like that Naruto kid… Sand-controlling shinobi…'_

"He's just like that Naruto kid! He's got a demon inside him as well! Shukaku!" The other two's jaws dropped on the realization, but they did not have time to fully comprehend the situation. They were bleeding out, and they needed to get to the hospital _fast_.

Gaara only watched as the three chūnin ran for their lives, not knowing how easily he could have killed them, still trying to process exactly what happened. He didn't really want to think about it. The hands of the men were still on the ground, and it was really starting to scare him. Gaara picked up his gourd and went off back towards the orphanage. If only he had stayed there in the first place, maybe this could have all been avoided.

It didn't stop there. The next morning the villagers got to the orphanage before the ANBU could come back and retrieve the boy. It was too late by then; the mob wanted the boy to die for housing a demon. Although they couldn't do anything about that Naruto brat, they sure as hell wouldn't hesitate to kill the kid who the Hokage had yet to recognize. As far as they were concerned, this was a matter of public safety. Two people had already lost their hands. What if next time it was their heads?

Unable to hold back the crowds, the elderly lady who owned the orphanage let the mob into the building, searching for the red-headed brat who dared attack three chūnin. When they found his room, his window was open and he had fled outside.

"Don't let the demon escape! We won't have _two_ demons running around!" one merchant yelled. Although it was forbidden to outwardly speak of the Nine-Tails, they had lost it in the heat of the moment. Besides, the Hokage had a _lot_ to answer for letting the Shukaku run around, just like the Nine-Tails! They didn't really give a damn at this point.

Gaara, however, was crying in the sewers underneath the city. He had found the entrance quickly enough, hoping to escape to mob in fear of retribution. He hadn't even _meant_ to cut those men's hands' off! He didn't even know what _caused _it! Gaara was sincerely depressed. Here he was, in a foreign village, one that particularly hated jinchūriki for some reason, and no frie-

"Hi there. You ok?"

The voice rang out in the darkness of the sewers. It was calm, kind, and above all understanding. Looking up, Gaara saw a blond-haired kid with a bright-orange jumpsuit, a beacon in the darkness of the sewers. He didn't look particularly happy, or sad for that matter. His face gave off an emotion of loneliness.

"N-no…n-n-not really…" Gaara managed to stutter out. This was the first person he had had a real conversation with in a while, and he was not going to screw this up.

"Why were they chasing you? I've never seen you do anything bad before."

"It's…it's because they say I have a demon inside me…"

Naruto froze. A demon? He wasn't stupid, as much as the others came to believe. He had heard the whispers behind his back. '_Demon brat_' stood out to him the most.

"What do you mean by 'a demon'?" If Naruto could figure this out, maybe he could finally understand why he was being called this.

But Gaara knew almost nothing of the demon inside him as well. "I-I don't know… I just have some sand that defends without being told. Is that normal?"

No, it was NOT normal. But Naruto wasn't going to tell him. This person was probably the closest person to him that was his age, who actually understood his pain. He instantly felt connected to this person.

"What's your name?"

"My name…is Gaara…"

Without having to talk, Naruto knew that this kid was just as lonely as he was. He had seen this Gaara person every once-in-a-while, but never tried to be friends with him. He expected him to push him way, like everyone else. But it seemed this was not the case.

"How about this, Gaara… You come with me, and then we can be best friends! I won't push you away, believe it!" Naruto gave him his best smile and thumbs up.

"…Sure…"

"Great!" With that, Naruto took Gaara by the arm and went through the sewers. He knew this place by the back of his hand, he wouldn't get lost.

Over the next few years, Gaara became just as hated as Naruto. The Third Hokage decreed that everybody was to leave the small jinchūriki alone, to never mention the demon inside him, or face punishment. Well, he might have quelled the mobs, but the people only did the same thing they did to Naruto for years. Ignore him, tell their children to stay away from him.

However, Gaara didn't mind anymore. Neither did Naruto. They had each other now, and these two became brothers in all but blood. They were alike, and together they were strong.

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**So that's that. The shortest chapter in this story. Hope you people like it enough to follow. The beginning of a story is always a hard part, when you have NOTHING. I will be updating soon, no worries there, but hopefully you guys stick around to see what's coming.**

**The actual storyline will start up next chapter. I still can't believe I'm doing this…**

**If I have any of my facts wrong, TELL ME! I'm still pretty new to Naruto in general, and your guys' opinions matter. Narutopedia is a wonderful place (I always have a tab with it), but sometimes you just can't find the thing you need, you know?**

**Constructive criticism is appreciated. Flames will be ignored.**

**Cheers!**


	2. Out of the Academy

**Chapter Two of **_**Sandstorm**_** is here. Thanks to all who liked this. And I didn't mean to bash the Uchiha clan on that last chapter; it just kinda happened. Oh well.**

**Another thing I want to note. I won't be using honorifics because a) I only partially understand them after reading the wiki page and b) 95% probability I would use them for one chapter while I have them in my brain and not use them the next chapter, and then all you guys would be wondering "What happened to the honorifics?" I'm only going to use them for '-sensei', because…well, they make the most sense to me. Sorry if it matters; I didn't see that much of a problem because of it. But enough that I'm going to point it out.**

**Mizuki wasn't really a "sensei" to Naruto in my opinion, so he won't earn that honorific.**

**Last part – I'm going to be using what I've seen in the dubbed anime and what I've read on the Narutopedia pages. And while I always double-check my facts, I have never read the manga, or seen the subbed anime version. So yeah. Sorry if that matters as well.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter. It revolves around the day Gaara and Naruto graduate from the academy.**

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Chapter Two: Out of the Academy

_Six years later…_

"Naruto, wake up. Today's the day."

With a yawn, Naruto forced his upper-body to sit up, rubbing his eyes. He looked across the room to see Gaara already making his bed, clothes on and ready for another day. "Hey Gaara, get any sleep last night?"

"No. What did you expect?"

Gaara was an insomniac. He couldn't sleep even when he tried, because a tiny part of his brain would stop him. A small, guttural voice would whisper '_Sleep…sleep…_' in the back of his mind. It was eerie, frightening, and it ultimately convinced Gaara _not_ to sleep. He knew something bad would happen if he did, and he was not ready to face whatever was trying to lull him to sleep.

"No harm in asking, right? I mean, someday it will get better…" Naruto tried to cheer Gaara up.

"Maybe."

They went on to their daily routine. Gaara would fix up the little apartment and go over their notes from yesterday while Naruto made them breakfast. They worked efficiently and effectively, not wanting to be late to class.

Naruto, having been forced to cook for someone else who enjoys more than just ramen and cereal, had become a surprisingly good chef. He put a little bit of his creativity into every meal that made a new dish a wonder to explore. He still went out to Ramen Ichiraku when he could, but not quite so frequently.

Gaara was the serious one between the two. He made Naruto become a better student, sharing his school materials and helping Naruto catch up if the blonde had missed anything. Naruto didn't really have that great of an attention span (that's an understatement), but Gaara absorbed information like a sponge. That, and because of the constant protection, he had nothing to distract him. Everyone ignored him, anyway. There was only one person who could make Gaara crack a smile, and that was his roommate.

In the last six years both of the boys' lives had improved tremendously. Yes, they only had each other, including the Hokage and Iruka-sensei, but that's all they needed. Naruto had toned down his pranks; he no longer did them for attention, but just because they were fun to do. His grades in class had also improved, since he had Gaara to help him through the lessons. He had lost his school materials long ago, and because Gaara was required to have a set they just shared his.

Gaara was no longer the cynical little sociopath everyone thought he would grow up to. He had met a true friend in Naruto, and it was hard to be such a sad person when you had Naruto's infectious attitude around you.

In taijutsu, Naruto finally had another opponent to practice on, and an opponent who had the best defense in possibly the whole shinobi world. Gaara never complained, was able to read at the same time, and could point out the flaws in Naruto's form. The only problem was that Gaara didn't know how to stop the barrier, so he was never able to practice his own taijutsu.

With ninjutsu, well, Gaara found a rather bloody technique that had frightened Naruto when he used it on an unfortunate rat in their room. He called it **Sand Coffin**, and Naruto quickly made Gaara promise to never use it on another human being unless absolutely necessary.

Naruto improved steadily in ninjutsu as well, with a vast amount of chakra reserves that surpassed even Gaara's. He didn't know anything fancy yet, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before had something _truly_ unique. He would make sure of that. If not, how would he ever pass his rivalry with Gaara?

Neither of them found much use in genjutsu. They found it boring, unpractical. In a real fight, a talented ninja would override the jutsu, leaving the user with less chakra then before. And for the position _they_ wanted, they would be facing many talented ninja.

They wanted to be the Kage's. Hokage for Naruto and the Kazekage for Gaara. While formerly banished from his hometown, Gaara had sworn to return, and be the youngest Kazekage yet. His father didn't scare him, and why should he? He had powers his father couldn't dream of.

They were nearing the end of their year. Soon they would be taking their genin test, and leave the academy for good. The pair had been planning for this day for a while now. Gaara, being the brilliant mind he was, suggested that Naruto pretend to be "Dead Last". Although at first skeptical that Gaara was just trying to get ahead of him, a more thorough explanation indicated that the top student and bottom student would be paired up.

Gaara and Naruto wanted to be on the same team any way possible. Since Gaara had no chance of being last, because of his sand protection, Naruto would have to be the "Dead Last" of the class. That meant bad grades, lying low, and keeping his abilities quiet. No loud boasting.

Honestly, Naruto didn't care. It's not like grades mattered to the shinobi way of life, it would only effect his reputation, and _that_ really couldn't get any lower.

After they were done with their morning routine, Gaara and Naruto head off for the academy.

When they got there, the bell had already ringed. Kids were going to their respective seats and tying up their conversations with their friends.

"Alright class, today is going to be the day you can graduate!"

Iruka watched in mild amusement as many of the students paled, obviously not expecting to be having their exam already. "We moved it up so us teachers can see who is _really_ prepared for everything. Remember, a shinobi…"

The class finished for him. "…must always expect the unexpected."

The teacher nodded. "Good, I know I did my job well then. We will first do a written exam. This should be the easy part, and all of you should pass. Then we will start on the three main jutsus; the first test on genjutsu, the second on taijutsu, and a final test on your ninjutsu. For the genjutsu, we will have you try and escape a certain illusion to see how strong your mind and willpower is. You won't expect it, so you'll just have to pass it when it comes to you.

"The taijutsu test will have you in a ring with various other students, and you'll have to push the other out. The teachers and I will watch your form and see who wins, because the longer you go the better your chance of passing. The competitiveness is for the pressure; don't want to make this test _too_ easy!

"And the last test, ninjutsu, will have you form a reasonable **Clone Jutsu**, as it is one of the most used varieties of jutsus you'll see in battle. This jutsu can save your life, and if you can't use it you can't pass."

Iruka stopped a bit to see their reactions. Most of them seemed intimidated yet confident by the test. After all, none of them were older than 12. He grinned; there was one more thing. "Finally, at the end, there is an optional skill test to demonstrate any bloodline limits you may have inherited. This way we can properly coordinate the best sensei that can help you with the bloodline."

Naruto was slightly peeved that most everyone subconsciously glanced at Sasuke. As an Uchiha, the Sharingan was almost a given. Whoever taught _him _would have a handful.

He wished he had a bloodline limit. Gaara had his sand, Sasuke his Sharingan, the Hyuuga clan their Byakugan… It wasn't fair!

But that wasn't going to stop the future Hokage. Oh no, nothing would stop the blonde-haired boy from achieving his dream.

They started the exams immediately. First was the written exam, which they breezed right by. Naruto hadn't even needed to cheat off Gaara for the answers. But he quite a bit of them blank, or at least he made it look like he had no idea what he was doing. When he turned it in, he was fairly certain that he got somewhere around 70%. Perfect.

Testing genjutsu was an unorthodox yet respectful method. The teachers made them stand in a horizontal line, and after a few dozen seconds of nothing, someone fell to a knee with a pained expression. A few seconds later, he got up, perfectly fine if sweating a little bit. Everyone else in the room visibly tensed.

"Gaara…I think it's already started!" Naruto whispered to his friend. They weren't going to tell who went next, so everyone just stood there in anticipation, guarding their minds for anything unusual.

That's when the Hokage came in. "Iruka, would you bring Sasuke up here. I have something to announce."

Confused, Naruto watched in growing horror as Sarutobi took off his hat and placed it on the Uchiha. "I am retiring, and pronouncing Sasuke Uchiha as the fifth Hokage!"

"No! Nonononono!" Naruto closed his eyes, hands over ears. '_This is only an illusion! Clear your head and force the chakra out!' _and when he was sure he cleared his mind, he opened his eyes back up again. The people closest to him stared at him, Gaara included.

There was no Sarutobi, and Sasuke was at the end of the line as usual. He had done it! While not having been particularly worried about this test, it was still good to know he had passed it.

Still, Naruto could feel a strange _vibe_ coming from the people around him. "Um…did I do something wrong?"

Gaara looked back over to him and said, "You passed. I'm sure of that. But you acted differently from the others."

"Whadya mean?" Naruto asked quizzically.

"You yelled out "no" over and over again until you woke up. No one else had such a strong reaction." Gaara looked slightly sympathetic towards Naruto as he asked "What did you see?"

Naruto shook his head, slightly ashamed of himself. Genjutsu normally did not affect him this badly. His practice sessions with Gaara were almost worse. "Not right now; wait until the exams are over."

"Fine."

The rest of the students got by easily, and Naruto quickly realized that the most reaction there had been when one kid stomped his foot in frustration. No one had cried out, except for the occasional wince.

Taijutsu was interesting, to say the least. While no one could touch Gaara while he did a half-hearted hit to his opponent's skull (Gaara had trained a bit in Taijutsu, just for this), Naruto had been paired with some civilian kid, and had let himself fight for a bit before getting beat to the ground. What he _didn't_ expect was an unceremonious and painful kick to his ribcage. "Freak!" the boy called out, before running off with his friends.

The supervisor did nothing to stop him.

Gaara motioned if he should come help or not, but Naruto held him off and instead got himself off the ground. There was more emotional pain than physical pain in his side, something that Naruto could never train himself for.

"How did I do?" Naruto asked when he got back over to Gaara.

The brow-less boy smirked. "Terrible, but enough to pass." The smirk disappeared, a rather murderous glint in his eyes. "But what about that finish? Are you ok?"

Naruto waved him off, seeing that glint and extinguishing it. "Don't worry about it. When I become Hokage, he'll have to respect me. So forget it."

Recovering, the class finished and headed inside to fool around while students were picked to perform the **Clone Jutsu**.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Iruka called out.

"Coming Iruka-sensei!" But before he got far, Gaara grabbed his wrist.

"Don't do anything too stupid in there. Our training together is more important than you trying to make a big show of yourself in front of the teacher."

Naruto just gave him a big smile. "I'll pass, be put on the same team, and together we can be the Kage's! Believe it!" He ran off to the testing room.

Once inside, Naruto found himself in front of two of the instructors that would actually give him a fair chance: Mizuki and Iruka-sensei.

"Alright Naruto, let's see what you can do. You already know the jutsu, so just use what you've hopefully learned and you'll be just fine." Iruka really hoped Naruto would make it this time. He sympathized with the kid, and thought it was unfair how others treated him.

"Right!" This would actually be a bit challenging; he had the chakra, but no control over it. Naruto made the seal and yelled out "**Clone Jutsu**!" In a poof of smoke, a standing-yet-frail copy of Naruto stood to his right. For a second it stood there, before waving a hand and vanishing with some more smoke.

For a frightful second Mizuki and Iruka looked at their notes, evaluating Naruto's performance. He was worried that maybe he didn't try hard enough, and actually did so bad he would fail.

"Naruto." His head perked up; Iruka-sensei was talking to him. "Before we make any final decision, do you have a kekkei-genkai you would like to show us?"

Naruto smiled ruefully at his teacher. "Sorry Iruka-sensei; I am what you see."

'_Not very accurate, considering the Fox, but still_…' thought Iruka as he made one final decision.

"Mizuki, have anything you would like to say before I make a decision?"

The white-haired chūnin hesitated for a minute before asking "What about his genjutsu? He nearly failed that, and a shinobi who can't shake off an invading illusion is a very real risk to a mission."

Iruka looked over at Naruto and said "Naruto, what type of illusion did you see? What was it of?"

Thinking very carefully as not to miss a single fact, Naruto recited "Old Man Hokage came by and made Sasuke the Fifth Hokage. I freaked out, and that's when I woke up. It was very quick, both in the mind and in the real world."

For a second Naruto saw a flash go by Mizuki's eyes, before it disappeared and thinking he simply imagined it

"Well Naruto, I have to say, even if you barely passed the written and the genjutsu, a pass is still a pass." He took a forehead protector and walked over to Naruto. "As of today, you are officially a shinobi. Well done."

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Most of the night was spent celebrating at Ramen Ichiraku, Naruto showing Teuchi and Ayame his impressive new band. Gaara was a bit calmer about it, simply sitting down to eat some good ol' ramen.

But later that evening, Naruto and Gaara finally found out why the village hated them.

It started off simple enough. The two were just starting up a conversation about the genin exams when Naruto saw Iruka-sensei coming towards them. He appeared to be bleeding badly, one arm nearly useless with other scratches dotting his uniform.

"Iruka-sensei! What happened? Why are you here?" Naruto ran up to him, concerned in his care-being. While not exactly friendly, his academy mentor had at least showed professionalism and taught Naruto just the same as everybody else. Other teachers…hadn't, to put it mildly.

"Naruto…go home with Gaara and make sure you're safe." With a big breath, Iruka set his arm up on the table to let it rest. Now he could talk easier. "It was Mizuki. He stole the Sacred Scroll of Sealing, and now he's making a break for it!" He shook his head sadly. "I always thought he was such a nice guy… Never expected him to act this way…"

When he looked over at Naruto, he was surprised to see that the boy was already gone.

No one had noticed the blonde boy leave. They had been focused on Iruka's tale, and hadn't seen the dark expression cross over Naruto's face as he continued.

"DAMN THAT BOY I WANTED HIM SAFE AND NOW WE DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS!" Iruka yelled out in a fit of rage; this was exactly what he _didn't_ want to happen. "Gaara, you're Naruto's closest-"

"Only."

Iruka winced internally. Poor kid. "Right, well, consider me a friend for now on, ok? I'm worried for Naruto; I think Mizuki might have it out for him."

Teuchi was listening intently the whole time, and finally had an opening for a question. "Before you tell us, because I know you're going to tell us for Gaara's sake, what happened to you? Why would you be injured?"

Iruka grit his teeth before speaking, the dizziness from blood lost starting to come into effect. "I think he's had something of a grudge against me for some time now. Tonight was the night he would leave Konoha, so he might as well go out with a bang. He came at me while I was finishing some things up at the academy."

"Secondly, how did Mizuki even _get_ the scroll? I thought that was under a high-security vault."

The teacher merely shook his head. "Tonight we were going to move it to the Hokage's office, so he could seal them up personally. It was just a strange coincidence it happened while the students were graduating."

Gaara perked his head back up, finally taking interest into what Iruka was saying. "What do you mean, _coincidence_?"

"I think Mizuki was planning on having Naruto steal the scroll for him, if he had failed the test, planning on killing his scapegoat and getting away from the scroll." Iruka sighed deeply one more time, thinking of what had happened at the genjutsu trial. "Remember Naruto's intense fight with the genjutsu? I think it was Mizuki who tested him, and instead of simply blinding him had put a full-on genjutsu technique, hoping he would crumble to pieces."

Gaara digested this information before asking a final question. "When are you planning on getting help for those wounds?"

For a second, Iruka was prepared to give him a full answer before realizing that he really did need help. His body was completely cut-up, and he needed to be given to some medic-nin.

"Gaara, help me to the hospital… I think I'll have an easier time if I don't have to limp all the way."

Taking Iruka's arm over his shoulder, Gaara asked "Aren't you worried about Naruto?"

"Nah. I figured if you weren't going after him, I wouldn't need to either." He coughed up some blood. "Besides, why did Naruto go after Mizuki? It's not like the villagers aren't going to like him any better, they hate him too much to be let go after one simple thing."

"It isn't about the villagers, Iruki-sensei. It's more of a personal thing that I'm sure Naruto plans on settling." Gaara said with a wry smile.

Iruka frowned. Other than a toned-down mistreatment Mizuki hadn't done anything to Naruto. "Personal?"

"Mm-hm. That's right. In Naruto's mind, anyone who takes friends for granted are below trash. Mizuki abandoned and attacked a friend, so I'm sure Naruto is going over there to drag him back in a body-bag."

"He would kill Mizuki!? At his age!?"

Gaara thought it over for a minute, before saying "I personally would, but Naruto will simply beat the crap out of him."

In another part of Konoha, and the outskirts, Mizuki had been cornered by Naruto. "Who would've thought that the "Dead-Last" would end up being the one to catch me? Iruka must've slowed me down more than I thought…"

Mizuki wasn't all too good, either. Iruka had put up a good fight, holding his own until Mizuki thought it better to escape then to finish the fight. He was bleeding a good bit in multiple places, but he was still fully functional and had the scroll in one arm, a kunai in the other. The one thing that betrayed his insanity was his eyes; they gave off the look of someone who had been pushed to far over the edge.

"I was planning on making you fail the genjutsu test, as I didn't have any direct influence on your other tests. But somehow you fended it off, and now I had to steal the scroll all by myself!" His smirk had changed to a snarl, anger getting the best of him as Naruto continued to glare at him.

"But now, I will kill you off, and get away without any more resistance! By the time the ANBU come by, I will be long gone. The best part is," a devilish grin appeared on his face, "no one will miss you, except that pathetic and cowardly friend of yours!"

Naruto just let the crazy man rant. He didn't care about this stuff. He came here for one thing and one thing only. "But why? Why go after Iruka-sensei? He has done nothing to you!"

Mizuki's eyes bulged out as he screamed at the boy, "NOTHING?! He has made me look like a fool! Always considered a better shinobi than I am! Well tonight, it was ME who beat him, not the other way around!"

"And with this scroll, I will become stronger than any other person in this village! And when I come back, it will be only to punish those who have made me miserable. Especially _you_."

Now he had Naruto's attention. Mizuki saw his head perk up, and continued. "What? You never knew why the whole village would whisper behind you and that brow-less one's back? Why you deserve to be put down like a rabid dog and burned to ashes?"

His eyes widened in insanity as he went on. "You are the very thing that this village hates. When you walk through the town, you remind the villagers of the pain and misery that was caused twelve years ago."

_Demon brat_…

"The Nine-Tailed Fox! The demon that caused the death of the much-beloved Fourth Hokage, along with thousands of others! And on that day, instead of finishing off the beast, the Fourth Hokage made a blemish that tainted his very legacy."

Naruto finally understood where this was going. Until then, he had been frozen in place while he desperately listened to why the villagers hated him so much.

"The Yellow Flash of Konoha sealed the beast into a newborn babe. That newborn was you! YOU ARE THE NINE-TAILED FOX!"

It all made so much sense that Naruto's first thought was shock. How did he not see this coming? Every student was told the story about the Kyūbi's rampage, although the story was told that Minato Namikaze had instead destroyed the beast before succumbing from his injuries. That was the child version.

But now was not the time to think about this. Gaara would want to know this too, and Naruto would hate to think of this before he could bounce his ideas off Gaara.

"So what if I do have the Kyūbi? I am Uzumaki Naruto, not the Nine-Tailed Fox! I am my own person, and never before had I felt an invading presence try and make me do evil things! And I would never let myself hurt or betray my friends!" He looked back up to glare at Mizuki. "Unlike you."

Unfortunately for him, Mizuki laughed it off. "Friends only make you weak. If you are strong, you have no need to rely on others! I have no morals, ethics or attachments to hold me back. I am not afraid to-"

He was cut short as Naruto launched himself into his stomach with both feet, knocking him back and into the tree behind him. The younger boy screamed, "YOU HAVE NO HONOR! NO REMORSE! IRUKA-SENSEI TREATED YOU EQUALLY AND WHAT DID HE GET IN RETURN?! A stab in the back! No one deserves that!"

Momentarily shocked by the kid's fierceness, Mizuki brushed himself off before saying, "You have no chance, boy. I am a chūnin-level shinobi, while you barely passed your test, _dead-last!_ You have no chance of beating me!"

Naruto stood up from his position on the tree branch. He knew that this was true; no matter how skilled he was at the moment, he was too inexperienced to do anything effective to the chūnin. He only had a lucky first shot. But…

"You don't get it, do you Mizuki?"

Mizuki's smirk dropped off his face. "Huh?"

Naruto's fist tightened, a small smile starting to adorn his face. "You can't stop me. I've trained too hard, lived too long to fall to someone like you." His eyes met those of Mizuki's, and in those eyes were a fire that not even the strongest water jutsu could quench. "I'm going to be Hokage one day! And if you think you can stop me, well, you've got another thing coming! Believe it!"

With that, Naruto launched his assault, hands moving before his brain's permission.

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Gaara was slightly peeved. Naruto should be coming back to the apartment soon, and even though he knew it was because of a "personal" problem, Gaara still didn't like it when Naruto went off without him. Not everybody had some sand to conveniently protect you from whatever came your way.

But soon enough, a special knock on the door indicated that it was Naruto.

The special knock was made when one year, during the Kyūbi festival (and Naruto's birthday), someone had knocked on the door. Oblivious to the danger, Gaara answered it only to see a smoking explosive tag slapped to a teddy bear. His quick thinking had saved the front door (and a visit from the landlord), but ever since they had been cautious about who they let in their room.

Naruto was bruised and bleeding in multiple places, but he seemed not to care about that. "Where's Iruka-sensei?"

Sighing, Gaara told him that their teacher was being probably at home treating himself to some ramen. Then he asked, "Why did you run off, Naruto?"

The orange-clad ninja rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before replying, "Ehehe, I guess I kind of did. But don't worry about it Gaara; I got the guy and he's currently in ANBU custody."

"You got the guy? How? Wasn't he a chūnin?"

"I'm just really skilled!" exclaimed Naruto before becoming strangely quiet and looking at Gaara intensively. "But nevermind that. I learned something tonight that I think is about to change our lives, even more so than it already has."

That got Gaara's attention, and soon he quickly abated his questions about Mizuki. Naruto was acting discreet and quietly, as if he was afraid someone would come along and stop him from what he was about to do. But it wasn't a get-scorned-and-told-off kind of fear, more a beaten-to-a-pulp-by-a-mob fear. This was serious.

Naruto went on to describe the night, first depicting how he had taken Mizuki on in a red haze. His emotions from an earlier talk and Mizuki's betrayal of Iruka's trust made him fight like a demon, as if his very way of life was on the line. Naruto visibly cringed when he said 'demon' but Gaara guessed it had to do about something Naruto was dying to tell him.

He was right. "Gaara, Mizuki told me why everybody in the village hates us. I don't know all the details, but apparently I am _literally_ the jailer of the Nine-Tailed fox, using my _own body_ to keep it sealed. The people think of the destruction the Kyūbi caused, and instinctively hate me for it." He bent his head towards Gaara, eyes wide and in a whisper said "This means that _you_ probably have a tailed-beast as well! That's why we're hated so much! Why you were banished from your village! It's not us; it's what's _inside_ us!"

This revelation caused Gaara and Naruto to talk excitedly yet worriedly for another half hour, before realizing the time. "Naruto, we can talk more in the morning, we have our first day as genin tomorrow. We'll finally be selected for our teams."

After being rudely interrupted, Naruto came to see his reasoning before getting himself into his own bed. "This opens up so many new questions."

"I agree with you Naruto, but we need to take this slow. Nobody has mentioned this to us for the past 12 years for a reason, and I want to know this reason before we go out and explore. We have no idea what we're dealing with."

Naruto nodded. Gaara was the logical, thinking one. He trusted his fellow demon-carrier to do what was best for them.

Instead of arguing and talking more about their demon predicament, Naruto simply closed his eyes and fell to sleep.

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**I know I might've overdone the moment when Naruto was told he was the Kyūbi, but that was one of the most pivotal moments in Naruto's life, and deserved quite a bit of attention.**

**And while the story may seem to be a lot like the anime/mange so far, that will change the minute they are put into teams. Not sure how you'll react, but I want to try it.**

**Also, I'm planning on changing a theme in this story to "romance" if I get to the chūnin exams the way I want it to go. By then I want to be adding some minor, oh so minor romance to get the feel for it, and then blossoming later on. Pairings still undecided, but I'm getting there.**

**Finally, the dōjutsu I mentioned I wanted Naruto to have? I have finally finished its requirements, look, and abilities, but I have yet to name it. I'm researching, but "Google Translate" isn't the most reliable source when you want something translated…Oh well. And the dōjutsu will come out on one of Naruto's missions.**

**Next chapter, teams will be decided, sensei's are revealed, and an actual fight scene will ensure! **

**Constructive criticism is appreciated, but flames will be ignored.**

**Cheers.**


	3. Team Seven

**Well here is Chapter Two…**

**School is starting up again, so the time between updates will start to increase…dramatically…but hopefully I can fit in some time to write like usual. It's going to be a pretty busy year, and I'm not sure if I'm ever going to be away from homework or practice.**

**An update on Naruto's and Gaara's effected behavior…**

**Gaara is still a ruthless killer on the inside, yet he is calm and only utilizes that ruthlessness when against actual enemy ninjas. He isn't bloodthirsty, mind you, just an cold-hearted killer, only able to smile from Naruto's influence.**

**Naruto is still a hyperactive kid on the inside, but being around a stoic person half his life has made him slightly more serious and strategic, and overall a better ninja because of someone else to bounce ideas (and taijutsu) off of.**

**This way, I'm only altering their personalities by the slightest degree, except for the parts which I, the writer, have decided they needed an improvement. Not an OP Naruto, not a friendly Gaara…yet. This is only the beginning! Stay with me, and your patience will be rewarded.**

**Also, in case you haven't noticed, Naruto has not learned the Shadow Clone Technique. There's a good chance he will through other means, but so far he does not possess the knowledge.**

**Warning: there will be slight Sasuke-bashing in the following chapters, but hang in there, he will eventually become just as appreciated as any other ninja.**

**And a last warning: any Neji lovers will be disappointed. You will see soon enough. **

**Anyway, thanks to all who've reviewed/favorite/followed… Really means a lot to me.**

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Chapter Two: Team Seven

The next morning started almost exactly as the last. Gaara was in a sour mood ever since the incident, but also relieved that he finally knew the source of his banishment. Later today he and Naruto planned on going to the library (sneaking through the windows, of course… The librarian would never let them in through normal means) and researching what kind of demon might be inside Gaara.

He was anxious. Very anxious. This was the answer to all their problems, or at least the first step towards them.

But, being who Gaara is, he just let show the emotionless stare that had come to rival that of Sasuke Uchiha.

These thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Naruto noisily falling out of bed and struggling to get up. In the background he could hear Naruto's rather noisy alarm go off. Sheesh.

"Ever think of, you know, just letting me wake you up every time?" he asked.

Naruto just grinned his silly grin and said "Can't let that happen, Gaara! Imagine if you weren't there, and then I'd have to go and wake myself up! I can't have myself rely on you to get me out of bed!"

He had a point.

Their morning routine fell into order and soon enough they were walking back towards the academy. But this day was special. They wouldn't be learning math, science, literature or, god forbid, history. Instead they would be separating into their own three-man teams, hopefully with a sensei that could take this handful of a duo.

That is, if they were put on the same team.

As they walked towards the academy, ignoring the hateful glances sent their direction and admiring the Konoha band on their body (forehead for Naruto, gourd strap for Gaara). Naruto was all for it; he loved having something that proved he was officially a Konoha shinobi. Gaara inwardly appreciated it with a bittersweet feeling. He had wanted to be a Suna shinobi, but for now he would have to pay his allegiance to Konoha.

The classroom was partially full by the time they got there. Half the civilian kids were there, along with most of the clan kids.

But really, they weren't kids anymore. They were shinobi. They proved it that when they passed the entry exam – right?

No time to speculate on their own thoughts however. Iruka was about starting to address them. The last few kids had stumbled in through the front. It was time.

"Alright class. Well, actually, you aren't really my class anymore, but I will always look at you guys that way. Anyway, what's going to happen now is you're all going to be sorted into teams of three. These will be your genin teams, under a sensei that will come to pick you up when I'm done. After that, good luck." He smiled, feeling somewhat remorseful knowing that over half of them would be seeing him again, most of them civilian kids.

He started on the list. Naruto didn't bother listening for the most part, but Gaara was drinking in every word. This would be too easy if they just _let_ them past; he had a feeling he would need to know these teams, just in case.

Until, finally, Naruto's name was called.

"…Naruto Uzumaki, Gaara, and Sasuke Uchiha will be on Team Seven!"

While most the girls complained about the team ("Why do the freaks get to be with the hot guy?!), Gaara and Naruto were thinking about the same thing. Their sensei was going to have a lot to handle. Sasuke didn't know it, but Naruto was nearly as strong as the other two, which means they successfully fooled the teachers.

The bad news was that a) they had the emo pouter on their side ("So your whole clan was massacred by your older brother, who you had held as an idol for so long. Big deal!), and b) this squad was _hella_ overpowered.

That, of course, could be argued as a good thing, but really now…was this _fair_?

Sasuke wasn't really thinking much of it. He knew that Gaara was strong – he had been the only one not to fall to Sasuke's taijutsu, mainly because he couldn't get a hit in – but he also had that _loser_, Naruto. At least it hadn't been a fangirl. Dear lord, could you imagine?

As the various sensei came in soon after, Gaara began to notice that their sensei – Kakashi Hatake – was not showing up along with the others. Sasuke noticed too, but pretended not too and continued to brood on his bad luck.

Naruto noticed it too all right, and he wasn't going to let it go unnoticed. "Where's the freaking sensei?! Everyone else has left! It's been over an hour!"

Gaara sighed. Naruto was an amazing shinobi, minus the un-ninja-like jumpsuit that he persisted in wearing, but he really needed to calm down a little.

"Will you shut it? If you're going to do _anything_ useful let it please be at least keeping your mouth shut," Sasuke called out. This caused a minor tick to appear on Naruto's forehead, but he had suddenly got a great idea and was not going to let it go.

This fabulous trick? Sticking an eraser above the door.

"Oh man, if this guy falls for it I'm not sure what I'm going to feel! He's gotta be the lamest ninja in the world if he falls for that!" Naruto said with an infectious grin, yet years of perfecting his "zero-tolerance" face allowed Gaara to keep a straight mouth. Sasuke wasn't feeling any amusement.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Naruto watched with open amusement as the eraser landed with a *bonk* on a silver-haired ninja's head.

"Hahahaha! I gotcha! Oh man, I can't believe you fell for that! Ha!" Naruto was on the ground, bursting out in laughter.

That was before the jōnin looked at him with a lazy stare and said in a dreamy state, "My first impression…is that you're unimpressive."

Talk about a blow to your manliness.

He continued. "I expect you all to be at the top of this building in three minutes. Late, you fail, and go back to the academy." And in a burst of white smoke, vanished.

Instead of freaking out, Naruto took his time getting off the floor and dusted himself off. With a grin towards Gaara, he said "Guess this is it! Time to meet our new sensei! Race you, Gaara!" And took off, not unlike the manner of their sensei.

Sasuke was right behind him, not wanting to be late. Nothing was going to hold _this_ Uchiha back.

Gaara watched them both go, opting to ignore Naruto's taunt and walk. Naruto could outrun anybody, even ANBU Black Opts. No way was this taijutsu-stunted genin going to beat him. Pfft. And three minutes to the top? Nothing. Now if he had said one… That would be worrisome.

|\||/|

"Gaara! What was that?! You didn't even try!" Naruto complained once Gaara had pulled himself onto a stone seat. Everyone else was there, and Kakashi was reading a book with a very…suggestive front cover.

After a few moments of silence Kakashi looked up and said "So you all made it. Wouldn't expect anything less from the top of the class, really." He glanced at Naruto and said "Minus the shrimp, of course."

He closed the book (ignoring Naruto's complaints) and stuck it in his back pocket. Then he formally addressed the team. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. I'm going to be your sensei for now on, make sure you make Konoha proud and not end up acting as fools. But first, some introductions are in order; I don't really know much about you. So what's your name? What's your favorite hobby? What's your goal? What do you like? Do you particularly _dis_like anything?"

The three genin looked at each other before Gaara sighed and said in a low voice "I am Gaara. I enjoy winning. My goal is to be the strongest. I like seeing the eyes of my enemy when I'm about to defeat them. I don't like egotistical crybabies who think they're all that."

Sasuke noticed the jab, and didn't take kindly to it. He knew it wouldn't hit, but he threw a kunai half-heartedly without standing up at the redhead's face. As expected, the sand came up and blocked it. "Coward." He mumbled. Gaara heard him, but didn't really react.

Kakashi ignored it all, and looked at Naruto instead. "You?" Of course he knew who _Naruto_ was, but it was better not to let any unfortunate onlookers to know that (a.k.a., ROOT…).

Naruto, seemingly a completely different kid than the one Kakashi had seen downstairs, answered in a serious tone "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I enjoy fighting. A lot. My goal is to become the Hokage of this town, and gain the respect of everyone in it." He said the Hokage bit with a fist-pump and a brave smile. "I like pulling pranks on people, getting stronger, and fighting strong opponents. I dislike people who judge others even if they don't know them. And spoiled milk." He shook his head in disgust. "Gaara meant to do that, but he swears he didn't!"

Gaara looked over at him, the ghost of a smile on his lips. Of course he meant it; Naruto had been the only person the pierce his sand guard (even if it hadn't hit Gaara; all it had done was break the sand, and Naruto had jumped from the top of the Hokage monument to accomplish that), and he had wanted payback. It was a tad cruel, but nothing beat victory than the sight of your enemy running to the pot over and over again.

Finally, Kakashi looked over at Sasuke. "And you?" He knew Sasuke Uchiha too, and didn't tell him for the same reasons he didn't tell Naruto.

Sasuke glared over his crossed hands, saying in a (slightly) menacing voice, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't enjoy anything. My goal is to do something you wouldn't understand. I don't like anything. I dislike slackers who do nothing useful in their pathetic lives."

The top of the academy was quiet until Kakashi broke the silence. "Well, it seems we have a nice, friendly group going here. The emo pouter, the overactive dreamer, and the silent loner." He gave them a smile, noticeable only through his eyes, ignoring the glares of the people he so recently insulted. "We're going to be best buds."

His eyes met there's and he suddenly became very serious. "I warn you now, and because you seem like a group worthy of hearing this I'm telling you now. The test you took at the academy was only to weed out the weaker. Here, you will also be tested, but only three genin teams Now meet me at training ground three tomorrow at five. And I wouldn't eat breakfast by the way…you might puke." With that, he took off.

The three genin sat their while their brains processed that peculiar event, before going their respective ways.

Gaara and Naruto instantly brought up a new conversation topic. "What'd you think of him, Gaara?"

The brow-less child looked at Naruto quizzically before the other genin rolled his eyes and said "Oh, c'mon, I know you were observing Kakashi-sensei the whole time. It's what you always do. What's your 'professional outlook'?"

"I think he's going to be either a very hard teacher," Gaara took a moment to glare at a villager who had been giving them the evil eye, "or a very, VERY hard teacher."

"I think he looks awesome! I mean, that face mask just gives off this professional look that screams 'fear me'! Do you think I should get one?" Naruto said in excitement.

Now it was Gaara's turn to roll his eyes. "You would tear that thing off before you could say 'believe it'. Mystique just isn't your style." He gave Naruto's orange jumpsuit a look over. "And speaking of appearance, I think it's about time to get rid of that obnoxious thing. You dragged that thing from a shopkeeper who thought only to get you killed, right?"

Naruto sighed as he thought of that particular shop. "At the time he seemed like such a nice old man. Only years later do I realize he probably was hoping an enemy ninja would see and kill me. At least I have _some_thing."

"Yeah, we're definitely getting you a new outfit."

"Can I at least have some orange on it? I've become used to the color…"

Gaara sighed, feeling like he at least owed Naruto that. "Sure."

"Yes! Victory for Naruto!"

"Now don't make me regret it!"

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The next morning was quite a rush around the Uzumaki apartment. Yes, it was Gaara's too, but it felt appropriate calling it Naruto's because he had been paying for it for years.

Gaara opened his eyes to the sound of munching. He still hadn't slept that night (yet now he knew why…partially), but he had trained himself to cut off all sound so he could at least get some rest. It was like being aware while asleep. A very useful, if bizarre, trait.

But when he saw what lay before him, he was wide awake.

Naruto had woken up early and was having a complete breakfast, toast and orange juice. What irked Gaara was that Kakashi had _specifically_ warned them not to eat. And considering it was Naruto they were talking about here, it really was not all that unexpected; he had forgotten.

"Naruto. What. Are. You. _DOING?!_" Gaara yelled at him.

Naruto jumped from the sudden voice, spilling orange juice all over his jumpsuit (which didn't really matter, it was dirty enough anyway).

"Wha-what?" Realization hit Naruto in a wave, and he immediately freaked out. "Oh, _crap_, I forgot Kakashi-sensei's warning! I'm screwed!"

Gaara, on the other hand, was already recovering and trying to calm Naruto down. "Forget it. C'mon, lets head to the market and steal some clothes. We're top-class genin, and I'm pretty sure we've paid for the clothes we're about to steal in the amount they ripped us off from."

The other genin frowned. Gaara hadn't informed him on the "stealing" part. "We're going to steal? Aren't we trying to _gain_ the villagers' respect, not make them hate us anymore?"

Gaara shrugged. "Eh, what are they going to do? Call ANBU on us? They so much as touch us and we'll go to the Hokage. When he asks why we stole, we'll tell the truth about the overpriced goods. He'll berate us, sure, but other than that let us keep the stuff and we'll be on our merry way. Deal?"

Naruto paused for a minute before sighing and saying "Deal" in a defeated tone. Gaara was just too hard to argue with.

The sun hadn't even risen across the horizon when they got to the store. They snuck in through the window, browsed through the selection, until Naruto suddenly called out "This is perfect!" in a loud voice.

"Shut up you bonehead!" Gaara whispered. He felt tense, but not too anxious. They were only stealing; the villagers had done MUCH worse to them in the past.

'Only stealing'. Right. Pure brain power right there.

Gaara, curious to what could've gotten Naruto's eye so easily, came over and was pleasantly surprised that is seemed the right fit for Naruto's style.

It was another jumpsuit, but where it was orange before was now a pitch black. The blue parts from his current jumpsuit were orange on the new one, yet they were a red-orange color, like the hue of a sunset. "Think we should get it for you, Gaara? Seems to fit you better."

Gaara merely shook his head. "Nah; I like my current outfit. Gives me more flexibility, and for someone who doesn't rely on taijutsu that much it's perfect. It also gives a shout-out to my original home, Sunagakure. You can have it." He smirked, suddenly thinking of an idea. "Just make sure to dye your hair red, it will look exactly like the suit."

Naruto, not catching the sarcasm, asked "You really think so? But then, we'll look almost ex-"

"I was kidding, idiot. If you so much as shave your eyebrows I will kill you for impersonation."

They got out easily enough, and with Gaara's sand they were able to mute the creaking sand of the screw being put back into place. They went back to the apartment, so Naruto could change, and then headed out for training ground three.

Sasuke was there, and they actually got a reaction from the normally stoic Uchiha at the sight of a darker, less obnoxious Naruto. That small reaction ended quickly however, and it was back to the mask.

They waited for a long time, Naruto occasionally complaining that his new jumpsuit was "itchy in places no place should itch". Gaara was starting to envy Naruto's forgetfulness; a nice big breakfast would hit the spot right now.

When it was about noon, Kakashi finally showed up. "Hey guys. Sorry for the wait. My alarm clock didn't go, and when I was headed here I ran across a black cat and had to go the long way around town."

He had noticed Naruto's new attire, but decided not to take note of it; they were only clothes.

They were not amused. But Naruto didn't complain; he had gotten some more sleep in, and his stomach was still content from the great breakfast. Gaara and Sasuke just weren't ones to complain.

"Right. I hope you guys aren't hungry," the killing intent increased, "because you're going to have to get these two bells from me. Whoever gets them passes. The loser fails." He held up two regular bells, each about the size of a large cherry. They clanged together softly, emitting a slight *_ping_* sound when hit.

"In addition," he took out three box lunches and showed it to them, "whoever passes also gets to eat lunch. Whoever doesn't gets to see me eat their lunch while they're chained up to that wood post over there." He smiled at them while the genin team processed this information.

"You only have a few hours to succeed. Once this timer goes off," he again seemingly pulled the clock from nowhere, set it, and put it on the wooden post, "you're out of luck. Of course, it's possible none of you may pass, but I guess only you have to worry about it."

With that, he got into a ready position and said in a louder voice, "Ready…GO!"

All three of them went off immediately, hiding in various bushes. Gaara and Naruto went together, while Sasuke went to the opposite side.

'_It seems Gaara and Naruto already know how to work as a team…this will be interesting to see how they implicate Sasuke into their little equation. I doubt they will make it with just the two of them, but you never know…_'

Meanwhile, Naruto and Gaara were plotting.

"He's too skilled to be fooled by any of our own genjutsu, and I don't think straight out tai and ninjutsu will help us," Gaara was saying, uncapping his gourd to let the sand trickle out. "We need to trap him, quickly, before he gains a complete understanding of our abilities. I'll trap him from afar with **Sand Coffin** while you speed up to him while he's immobilized and take the bells for ourselves. Screw Sasuke, the bastard had it coming when he shunned us."

Naruto disagreed. "Your sand shield would be best put to use in close-quarters, where all you have to worry about is getting close to him instead of defending." He suddenly looked regretful, and said "I don't know about Sasuke. We should at least _try_ to integrate him. I mean, something just feels _off_ about this challenge. Doesn't make sense why they would give us teams if they're only going to have us fight for a spot…"

Gaara's eyes narrowed in thought, contemplating Naruto's ever-so-few wise words. When it hit him, his eyes widened even larger than before. "You have your moments, Naruto. Kakashi-sensei is trying to make us separate by giving us only _two bells_, where we only need to get the bells as a _team_! We need to team with Sasuke if we want any chance of becoming official genin!"

Naruto made a face, inwardly amazed that he had been the one to put this whole 'teamwork' thing out, but outwardly said "But still…I may have felt bad for leaving Sasuke out, but he's still Sasuke. Guess we'll just have to deal with him until we get the bells."

The redheaded boy nodded. "Just make sure _we_ get the bells. I'd hate for him to get a bell and our theory to turn out wrong."

In another bush, Sasuke was waiting for his 'golden opportunity' when he heard a voice whisper "Psst! Sasuke! Turn around!"

With a kunai magically appearing in his hand, Sasuke turned around only to see Naruto beckoning him over to a bush. He left before Sasuke had a moment to consider what just happened.

Sasuke glanced back at Kakashi to make sure his master was still reading his book, and then went to follow Naruto. Why not? He had nothing better to do.

Gaara and Naruto were already settled by the time Sasuke found them. "What's the big deal?"

"Sasuke," Gaara started, "we think the test has a different purpose, that we're supposed to rely on _teamwork_, rather than ourselves. Together, Naruto and I might have made it, but that defeats the purpose. IN the end, Kakashi could fail us even if we did get it."

Sasuke snorted, thinking how Naruto of all people could help get the bell. But thinking on it more, if _he_ and Gaara tried to get the bells, they stood a chance…

Sasuke motioned to Gaara for a private talked, and when he was sure Naruto couldn't hear whispered "How about we forget Naruto? He was dead-last in our class, he would only be dead weight to be thrown around while in a fight. Let's just try it ourselves."

The Uchiha heir thought he had seen it all, but apparently he hadn't. Gaara's eyes appeared very dark, the light blue condensing to a dark brown in color, rage flowing through his veins. "I will _never_ abandon Naruto. You hear me, Uchiha? I will _never abandon the ONE PERSON WHO TOOK ME IN!_"

Leaving a visibly stunned Sasuke in his wake, Gaara left to meet with Naruto, he simply said "He won't help," and continued walking. Naruto knew better than to question his best friend when he was in a state like that, so he simply followed his fellow jinchūriki.

Back in the clearing, Kakashi was starting to get a little amused, for lack of a better term. No one had attacked him yet, even though attacking him was the best option.

That was when Gaara, of all people, came barreling straight out of the forest and directly at him.

The red-headed boy didn't have any stance; he was simply running towards Kakashi, hands behind him in an effort to go faster.

Kakashi's first thoughts that this boy was an idiot, but as Gaara went to grab the bells, hand outstretched, and Kakashi went to grab his hand, the sand from his gourd shot out and blocked his hand.

Second thought – this boy was going to be a challenge.

Kakashi had no choice but to dodge as Gaara increasingly went to grab the bells. Kakashi could have ran, but any shinobi can do that, and it wouldn't be very fair to the others if he just ran away the whole time.

Every once in a while Kakashi couldn't help but try and implant his own hit in, only to be stopped by that strange sand and hand batted away. Gaara's speed was also steadily increasing, getting used to the circular motions they had been making.

When Kakashi moved backwards to dodge another swipe, a second set of arms reached around and put their hands over his eyes.

Naruto, having waited until Kakashi was distracted for long enough, had burst out and blinded Kakashi in an effort to stall his movement. At that same moment, Gaara went in for the bells.

They were so close, too.

Deciding that he would need to try harder, Kakashi went all-out (minus his Sharingan) and suddenly Naruto found himself holding a log.

"He replaced himself! Crap!" Naruto yelled out as suddenly he heard Kakashi's voice sound from behind.

"**Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: One Thousand Years of Death**!" And Kakashi attacked Naruto in a place that would forever scar Naruto.

As Gaara (and Sasuke from the bushes) watched Naruto go flying, Kakashi ran off towards Sasuke, having found the Uchiha's position beforehand and wanting to get him in the fight.

Seeing the jōnin run straight for his position, Sasuke jumped over Kakashi and into the clearing, where Kakashi took his time to turn around and said "I'm almost impressed. I had to use my secret jutsu on Naruto and Gaara has an automatic defense system, so I can't hurt him. Sasuke, so far you are the only person I am not pleased with."

Sasuke seethed with anger as Kakashi continued to belittle him. "I would've thought better from the last Uchiha, whom so many clans are excited that _they_ may be chosen for marriage with the most prestigious clan in Konoha." He flipped a kunai over, finger rolling it around over and over again… "Who knew that he was such a coward."

That was the last straw. With a roar the normally stoic Uchiha rushed into battle, taijutsu ready to be used in full, nearly lethal force. Gaara, sensing this as a moment to utilize teamwork, quickly joined, using his sand to protect Sasuke from any potential attacks.

"Wh-…Why are you doing this?!" Sasuke yelled as he increased his attempts, now desperate to get those stupid bells.

"Because we're a team, that's why. And a team always helps each other out, no matter what."

"Believe it!" Naruto came in, one hand nursing his bottom but otherwise ready to go. He quickly fell in line with the other two genin, until eventually they forced Kakashi onto a tree.

"Now Gaara!" Naruto yelled over the heat of the battle, realizing that this would be their only chance.

Taking a step back as to use his jutsu, Gaara held up an open fist and said "**Sand Coffin**!"

The sand, currently in the open protecting Sasuke and Naruto from any potential hits, worked into action as it surrounded Kakashi, binding him to the tree in one solid motion. Some sand came apart from the main mess and flew to Gaara's other outstretched palm.

When he opened his palm back up, to gleaming bells laying there in his palm.

"Woohoo! We got him! Good job, guys! We made it!"

Kakashi had been released, and he dusted himself off. "Good job, Gaara. Now the choice… Who are you going to give the other bell to?"

Gaara wanted to give the bell to Naruto. Why wouldn't he? Sasuke had only been a distraction, and hadn't even wanted to be in the fight in the first place.

But that wasn't the purpose. What if Kakashi failed him for giving it to Naruto? Worse, what if Naruto failed _because_ he gave him the bells?

In the end, Gaara look into the eyes of his trainer and saw he was trapped. He would have to make the right decision. But this was Gaara we're talking about, and Gaara never backs down. So he compromised.

"Both of them." With a flick of his wrist, the sand came up and sliced right through one of the bells. Now there was half a bell. He gave the full bell to Naruto and the half bells to Sasuke and himself. "If I have to choose one, I'd always choose Naruto, but Sasuke _did_ help during the capture, and deserves a bell just as well. This way, we all pass, right?"

Kakashi could only stare at him unblinkingly as time passed, until even Gaara started to feel slightly uncomfortable.

Finally, Kakashi burst out laughing.

It was a completely taboo sound. From the sound of Kakashi's laughter, the jōnin didn't laugh much, but _this_ had pushed him over the edge. The three genin were unnerved slightly more after hearing the manic laughter.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Kakashi finally stood up (he had fallen on the ground) and walked over to Gaara. He outstretched his hand, indicating he wanted the bell back. Gaara complied.

"I have to admit, you got me. Not with just my capture, even if it was momentary and I could've gotten out of it as soon as I got over my shock, but with your solution. That was such an insane idea, cutting your own bell in half to make three, it caught me completely off-guard. I even think I saw a grateful grin on Sasuke's face for that.

Sasuke glared at him ("I surely did _not_!"), but Kakashi ignore him. "And you're right. Sometimes that creativity can make a great attribute, and in this case, where _teamwork is the most vital thing to your training_, creativity is a blessing." He smiled. "Good job boys. We are officially Team Seven! You passed! And starting tomorrow morning we meet our new best friend. Hope you like cats!"

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**Next chapter will reveal the other teams, and how I moved them around to fit this story setup. I hoped you liked the new Team Seven. I decided to keep Sasuke because he fills such an integral role in Naruto's life.**

**That and the opportunity to write a completely badass team was too hard to stray from.**

**Anyway, an update on pairings is a big hint. I'm leaning heavily towards a decision and only those who know this word can guess what I'm leaning towards.**

**DigiFruit.**

**If you know what it means, you're probably giggling uncontrollably right now, but please keep your excitement vague. Don't want to spoil it for others.**

**Read, review, enjoy. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Flames will be ignored.**

**Cheers!**


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